DAIRY PRODUCE MARKET.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 50, 2 October 1924, Page 4

DAIRY PRODUCE MARKET.

BUTTER. The butter market still maintains a strong position, anti, whilst practice has taught us not to view matters too optimistically at any time, the immediate future appears bright, especially in view of the fact that Continental buyers have been operating freely. The London price has risen steadily since the middle of April and quotations for salted butter during August advanced from 192 s to 208 s, the present values being, salted 2.125, unsalted 2245, as against 192 s for the same time last season. The total importations of butter into Great Britain during August were as follow: 1924, 23,390 tons; 1923, 20,460 tons; an increase of 2930 tons.

Australia has experienced favourable weather conditions and returns show increased production. Weekly returns from the grading stores at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have shown increases of up to 250 tons as compared with last year. Their export of butter for August amounted to 500 tons. The local price at Sydney and Brisbane has remained unchanged at 177 s4d per cwt and Melbourne 173 s per cwt, where market is inclined to drag. Argentine, like New Zealand, .is suffering from dry spells with the resultant diminished production. This decrease is considered only temporary and no doubt September returns will show considerably improved quantities. The exports of butter have been as follow:—1924: July, 850 tons; August, 695 tons; total, 1545 tons. 1923: July, 756 tons; August, 1235 tons; total, 1991 tons.

Canada, probably because New Zealand has captured their English cheese trade, have in many quarters swung over to butter, with the result that large quantities of that product are now being manufactured, although up to tire present time the bulk of their exports have gone into the United States. CHEESE. During August cheese has shown very little fluctuation, white ranging j from 94s to 90s and coloured 90s to i 925. Present values are, white 935, j coloured 91s, as against 118 s to 120 s at this time last year. The retail price of cheese at Home has been Is per pound and this reasonable price has had the effect of maintaining steady consumption. New season’s cheese will not reach London until the middle of November, but it must be borne in mind that over 10,000 tons of cheese are in cool store in Canada ready for shipment, while the estimated quantity of New Zealand and Canadian cheese on hand in stores throughout Great Britain at . the end of August was 10,000 tons. The total importations of cheese into Great Britain during August were as f0110w:—1924, 14,216 tons; 1923, 16,416 tons; a decrease of 1800 tons. NEW ZEALAND PRODUCTION. The Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture advises the following statistics for August covering gradings throughout New Zealand:— Butter: Salted—l 924, 1875 tons; 1923, 2030 tons; unsalted—l 924, 5 tons; 1923, 9 tons. Cheese: White—--1924, 109 tons; 1923, 182 tons; coloured—l924, 99 tons; 1923, 116 tons. These figures show a decrease in the butterfat production of 9.2 per cent, for August, 1924, as compared with August last year. Stocks held at the various grading ports at August 31, 1924, were:—Butter, 2193 tons; cheese, 502 tons. Shipments from New Zealand for August total: —Butter, 1049 tons; cheese, 1721 tons. SHIPPING. During August five steamers carrying New Zealand butter and cheese arrived at Great Britain, discharging 37,608 boxes of butter and 35,614 crates of cheese, whilst September sees four steamers unloading 65,011 boxes of butter and 28,346 crates of cheese as hereunder:— After the Pt. Hunter there is a lapse of three weeks until the arrival in London of the next produce steamers, viz., Waimana and Corinthic, which are carrying 24,590 boxes of butter and 6832 crates of cheese respectively. At the end of August there were 64,254 boxes of butter and 2608 crates of cheese in store at Auckland, as against 45,902 boxes of butter and 1881 crates of cheese last year, but unfortunately only two steamers loaded at Auckland during September, and thus little relief has been effected. The sailings were as follow: The feeling in many quarters with

(Continued in Next Column.)

regard to space allotments is that wool and meat receive preference over butter and cheese and it remains with the authorities to show that ample shipping accommodation is being provided for this season’s Output. At the present time there appears to be no Auckland loading steamer between the Mamari on October 10 and the Orari about the middle of November. Although the Rotorua and Maimoa will load 125,850 boxes of butter indications show that these allotments will only absorb all September butter, so that any butter arriving in store from the first week in October onwards will have to await shipment per the Orari about November 16. It is to be hoped that additional space will be provided and thus avoid the congestion that so many times in the past has proved detrimental to the dairying industry.